NATURAL AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS: OVERVIEW OF RECENT INVESTIGATIONS IN NON-HUMAN PRIMATES

2020 ◽  
pp. 23-33
Author(s):  
Д. Г. Семенов ◽  
А. В. Беляков
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Human Aging ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Aging Mechanisms ◽  
The Brain

Старение человека сопровождается ослаблением когнитивных функций мозга. Актуальность изучения этого процесса, как и поиска путей его медицинской коррекции, возрастает в связи с увеличением средней продолжительности жизни в развитых странах. Нечеловекообразные приматы признаны наиболее подходящей биологической моделью для экспериментального изучения естественных механизмов когнитивного старения. В обзоре представлены последние данные, характеризующие поведенческие закономерности старения этих животных и соответствующие структурнофункциональные и молекулярно-клеточные корреляты. Описаны некоторые эффективные способы профилактики и терапии естественного старческого когнитивного ослабления. Human aging is followed by the weakening of cognitive functions of the brain. The relevance of the study of this process as well as the search for ways of its medical correction increases due to the rise of the middle life span in developed countries. Non-human primates are recognized as the most appropriate biological model for the experimental study of natural cognitive aging mechanisms. The review presents the latest data characterizing age-related behavioral patterns of these animals and the corresponding structural-functional and molecular-cellular correlates. Some effective ways preventing natural senile cognitive decline are highlighted.

Age-Related Decline in the Topological Efficiency of the Brain Structural Connectome and Cognitive Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 4651-4661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Li ◽  
Yezhou Wang ◽  
Wenxiao Wang ◽  
Weijie Huang ◽  
Kewei Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Elderly Individuals ◽  
Structural Connectome ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Topological Efficiency ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Brain disconnection model has been proposed as a possible neural mechanism for cognitive aging. However, the relationship between structural connectivity degeneration and cognitive decline with normal aging remains unclear. In the present study, using diffusion MRI and tractography techniques, we report graph theory-based analyses of the brain structural connectome in a cross-sectional, community-based cohort of 633 cognitively healthy elderly individuals. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessment of the elderly subjects was performed. The association between age, brain structural connectome, and cognition across elderly individuals was examined. We found that the topological efficiency, modularity, and hub integration of the brain structural connectome exhibited a significant decline with normal aging, especially in the frontal, parietal, and superior temporal regions. Importantly, network efficiency was positively correlated with attention and executive function in elderly subjects and had a significant mediation effect on the age-related decline in these cognitive functions. Moreover, nodal efficiency of the brain structural connectome showed good performance for the prediction of attention and executive function in elderly individuals. Together, our findings revealed topological alterations of the brain structural connectome with normal aging, which provides possible structural substrates underlying cognitive aging and sensitive imaging markers for the individual prediction of cognitive functions in elderly subjects.

scholarly journals Impairments in Brain Bioenergetics in Aging and Tau Pathology: A Chicken and Egg Situation?

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2531
Author(s):  
Amandine Grimm
Keyword(s):  
Brain Metabolism ◽  
Brain Aging ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Tau Phosphorylation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Tau Pathology ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Energy Consuming ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
The Brain

The brain is the most energy-consuming organ of the body and impairments in brain energy metabolism will affect neuronal functionality and viability. Brain aging is marked by defects in energetic metabolism. Abnormal tau protein is a hallmark of tauopathies, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Pathological tau was shown to induce bioenergetic impairments by affecting mitochondrial function. Although it is now clear that mutations in the tau-coding gene lead to tau pathology, the causes of abnormal tau phosphorylation and aggregation in non-familial tauopathies, such as sporadic AD, remain elusive. Strikingly, both tau pathology and brain hypometabolism correlate with cognitive impairments in AD. The aim of this review is to discuss the link between age-related decrease in brain metabolism and tau pathology. In particular, the following points will be discussed: (i) the common bioenergetic features observed during brain aging and tauopathies; (ii) how age-related bioenergetic defects affect tau pathology; (iii) the influence of lifestyle factors known to modulate brain bioenergetics on tau pathology. The findings compiled here suggest that age-related bioenergetic defects may trigger abnormal tau phosphorylation/aggregation and cognitive impairments after passing a pathological threshold. Understanding the effects of aging on brain metabolism may therefore help to identify disease-modifying strategies against tau-induced neurodegeneration.

Cognition in Ageing

2018 ◽  
pp. 118-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susmita Halder ◽  
Akash Kumar Mahato
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Daily Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Geriatric Population ◽  
Medical Issues ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Growing Age ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Brain

This chapter focuses on cognitive functions and impairment in the elderly; its implications in daily functioning with inputs on differences in the existing literature. The chapter further focuses on the diagnostic and assessment issues and intervention strategies. Ageing is an inevitable phase of life and encompasses changes in physical, psychological and social realms of an individual. Concern with the dwindling health and presence of any medical issues make the geriatric population prone to develop mental health conditions. Poor memory and reduced functional ability is one of the common complaints from older adults coming to psychiatric or neurology clinics. Cognitive functions have been well documented regarding their role in daily functioning of an individual. With growing age of the brain; while some cognitive functions do slow down; some of the functions do evolve better with experience. In this context, it is important to differentiate between normal age related cognitive changes and symptoms of any degenerative disease.

scholarly journals Age-Related Changes in Human and Nonhuman Timing

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 261-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rannie Xu ◽  
Russell M. Church
Keyword(s):  
Time Perception ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Biochemical Changes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Timing Ability ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Age Related Changes

The capacity for timed behavior is ubiquitous across the animal kingdom, making time perception an ideal topic of comparative research across human and nonhuman subjects. One of the many consequences of normal aging is a systematic decline in timing ability, often accompanied by a host of behavioral and biochemical changes in the brain. In this review, we describe some of these behavioral and biochemical changes in human and nonhuman subjects. Given the involvement of timing in higher-order cognitive processing, age-related changes in timing ability can act as a marker for cognitive decline in older adults. Finally, we offer a comparison between human and nonhuman timing through the perspective of Alzheimer’s disease. Taken together, we suggest that understanding timing functions and dysfunctions can improve theoretical accounts of cognitive aging and time perception, and the use of nonhuman subjects constitutes an integral part of this process.

Vitamins and Cognition: A Nutrigenomics Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayyappan Anitha ◽  
Vijitha Viswambharan ◽  
Ismail Thanseem ◽  
Mary Iype ◽  
Rahna Parakkal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Cognitive Disorders ◽  
Therapeutic Strategies ◽  
Epigenetic Factors ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Novel Approaches

: The rise in the prevalence of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental cognitive disorders combined with a lack of efficient therapeutic strategies has necessitated the need to develop alternate approaches. Dietary supplements are now being considered as a complementary and alternative medicine for cognitive impairments. Considerable evidence suggests the role of vitamins in modulating the genetic and epigenetic factors implicated in neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. In this review, we provide an overview on the implications of nutrigenomics with reference to vitamins that are suggested to boost cognitive functions (nootropic vitamins). Several vitamins have been found to possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which make them potential candidates in preventing or delaying age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Well-designed longitudinal studies are essential to examine the association between vitamins and cognitive functions. Future studies linking nutrition with advances in neuroscience, genomics and epigenomics would provide novel approaches to the management of cognitive disorders.

scholarly journals Cognitive Aging in Dogs

Gerontology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Durga Chapagain ◽  
Friederike Range ◽  
Ludwig Huber ◽  
Zsófia Virányi
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Dysfunction ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Dietary Intervention ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Normal Aging ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Behavioral Enrichment

A decline in the physical or mental health of older dogs can be a challenge for the owners, whose relationship with their dog is compromised by the cognitive and behavioral changes in their dogs. Although dog owners tend to consider many physiological and behavioral changes in old dogs as part of the normal aging process, it is important to differentiate between normal aging and pathologic aging, since behavioral changes may be the first indication of declining health and welfare in old dogs. Most reviews on cognitive aging in dogs have focused on translational approaches to human Alzheimer's disease; from a practical perspective, however, understanding normal cognitive aging in pet dogs and screening cognitively affected dogs are important in their own right. Here we review the literature on different cognitive functions that decline during aging, signs of cognitive dysfunction, screening methods, and preventive measures for age-related cognitive decline. Moreover, we discuss the drawbacks of using questionnaires as subjective measures of aging and propose the development of objective methods to distinguish normal cognitive aging from severe cognitive dysfunction. We suggest that multi-targeted approaches that combine owner-evaluated questionnaires with neuropsychological tests can be most effective in screening cognitively affected dogs from normally aging dogs. Regarding preventive measures, we conclude that combinations of dietary intervention and behavioral enrichment may be more beneficial than single-pathway manipulations in delaying cognitive aging or retaining various cognitive functions during aging.

scholarly journals Examining the multifactorial nature of cognitive aging with covariance analysis of positron emission tomography data

2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 973-981 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAREN L. SIEDLECKI ◽  
CHRISTIAN G. HABECK ◽  
ADAM M. BRICKMAN ◽  
YUNGLIN GAZES ◽  
YAAKOV STERN
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Regional Cerebral Blood ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Effect Of Age ◽  
Tomography Data ◽  
Related Pattern

AbstractResearch has indicated that there may be age-related and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) -related reductions in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the brain. This study explored differences in age- and AD-related rCBF patterns in the context of cognitive aging using a multivariate approach to the analysis of H215O PET data. First, an rCBF covariance pattern that distinguishes between a group of younger and older adults was identified. Individual subject’s expression of the identified age-related pattern was significantly correlated with their performance on tests of memory, even after controlling for the effect of age. This finding suggests that subject expression of the covariance pattern explained additional variation in performance on the memory tasks. The age-related covariance pattern was then compared to an AD-related covariance pattern. There was little evidence that the two covariance patterns were similar, and the age-related pattern did a poor job of differentiating between cognitively-healthy older adults and those with probable AD. The findings from this study are consistent with the multifactorial nature of cognitive aging. (JINS, 2009, 15, 973–981.)

scholarly journals Functional Aging in Male C57BL/6J Mice Across the Life-Span: A Systematic Behavioral Analysis of Motor, Emotional, and Memory Function to Define an Aging Phenotype

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuichi Yanai ◽  
Shogo Endo
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Memory Function ◽  
Laboratory Mouse ◽  
Gait Velocity ◽  
Prime Model ◽  
Human Aging ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Functional Capabilities ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Long Line

Aging is characterized generally by progressive and overall physiological decline of functions and is observed in all animals. A long line of evidence has established the laboratory mouse as the prime model of human aging. However, relatively little is known about the detailed behavioral and functional changes that occur across their lifespan, and how this maps onto the phenotype of human aging. To better understand age-related changes across the life-span, we characterized functional aging in male C57BL/6J mice of five different ages (3, 6, 12, 18, and 22 months of age) using a multi-domain behavioral test battery. Spatial memory and physical activities, including locomotor activity, gait velocity, and grip strength progressively declined with increasing age, although at different rates; anxiety-like behaviors increased with aging. Estimated age-related patterns showed that these functional alterations across ages are non-linear, and the patterns are unique for each behavioral trait. Physical function progressively declines, starting as early as 6 months of age in mice, while cognitive function begins to decline later, with considerable impairment present at 22 months of age. Importantly, functional aging of male C57BL/6J mouse starts at younger relative ages compared to when it starts in humans. Our study suggests that human-equivalent ages of mouse might be better determined on the basis of its functional capabilities.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document